Locomotive-stoker



N. M. LOWER.

LOCOMOTIVE STOKER.

APPLICATION mgm AP11.13, 1917. asumen AUG. e. 1920.

Panted Mar. 15, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Iorne N. IVI. LOWER. LocoMoTlvE sTo'KER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.13.1917 RENEWED AUG. 6| i920.

1,371,497. Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N. M. LOWER.

LOCOMO'TIVE STOKER.

APPLICATION man APR. 13. 1917. RENEwED AUG. 6. 1920.

1,37 1,497. .Patel'ld Mar. 15, 1921` 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

.n nl 1. owl

.l (J orngs d N. IVI. LOWER.

LOCOMOTIVE STOKER.

APPLlcMloN FILED APR.13,1917. RENEwED Aus. 6.1920.

1,371,497. Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR T0 LOCOMOTIVE STOKER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

`IOG'011110TIVIE-STOKEIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

Application led April 13, 1917, Serial No. 161,784. Renewed August 6, 1920. Serial No. 401,824.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NATHAN M. L ownn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pittsburgh, county of Allegheny, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive- Stokers, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to locomotive stokers of the underfeed type. 'Its objects are to provide improved means for transferring fuel from 'the coal bin of a tender to the fire-box of a locomotive; to provide for the delivery of the fuel to all parts of the fireboX and in regulatedvolume to each section; to so deliver the fuel to the lire-box that its complete combustion is secured; and to. provide other advantages as herelnafter polnted out.

The invention consists in a device such as described,.an embodiment of the invention being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- F igureV 1 is a detail vertical longitudinal section of the rear end of a locomotive equipped with the improved Stoker;

Fig. 2 is a detail vertical longltudlnal section of the tender and a portion of the locomotive;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the forward portion of the stoking mechanism, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view; on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

- Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the rear end of the stoker mechanism; j

Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a detail of the pawl and ratchet mechanism for driving the various conveyer screws used in the device;

Fig. 8 is a detail of the mechanism for connecting a motor with the pawl and ratchet actuating mechanism; and V Fig. 9 is a plan section on the'line 9-9 of Fig. l, some parts being broken away.

The rear wall of the fire-box of a locomotive is represented at 10, and its front wall at 11. The iremans deck is shown at 12,

andlgthe floor of the fuel bin of the tender at f.

Beneath the tender floor is located a trough 14, being suspended therefrom in a swinging stirrup 15. To this trough fuel is delivered through an aperture 16 in the oor 13, and from its forward end there leads a conduit 17, which is connected by a universal joint 18 with a conduit 19 extending below the fire-box and substantially to its forward end. A shaft 20, located on the axis of the trough 14 and conduit 17, is equipped with sp1ral conveyer blades 21, 22, and may also carry a crusher cone 23 interposed between the screws 21, 22, and coperating with a Crusher shell 24. Upon the axis of the conduit 19 there is located a shaft 25 carrying a sp1ral conveyer blade 26.

At intervals throughout its length the conduit 19 is provided with a pair of lateral openings 27, 28, from which lead upwardly projecting and outwardly inclined conduits, as 29, 30. Housed within each of these conduits are eleva-ting screws 31, 32, the shaft, as 33, of each of these screws projecting through the lower end of the conduit and carrying al ratchet wheel, as 34.

Each of the upstanding conduits, as 29, extends through the grate of the fire-box and at its upper end carries a vertical annulus or pot, as 35, from which the fuel will issue, each of these pots extending a substantial distance above the surface of the grate.

The number of these discharge outlets will vary with the size of the lire-box. Six of them are shown, being arranged in two rows located on opposite sides of the median line of the fire-box, one thereof near each of its corners and two substantially midway of its length.' The shaft 20 projects through the rear end of the trough 14 and carries on its projecting end a bevel gear 36, meshing with a bevel gear 37 mounted on a short trans.

" The connection of each of the actuating.

ferring and elevating conveyers being identical, but one need ,bc described and is illustrated in detail in Fig. 7. This mechanism comprises a lever 44, pivoted upon the shaft of the ratchet wheel with which it coperates and carrying a double-nosed pawl 45, to the hub of which is fixed a spring arm 46, projecting loosely through a lug 47 on an adj ustable arm 48 pivotally mounted upon the lever 44. "1n one position of the arm'48 one nose, as 49, is in engagement with the ratchet wheel, as 39, and will drive this wheel in one direction, and click back over its teeth as the lever 44 is oscillated. lWhen the arm 48 is swung to the dotted line position of Fig. 7, the pawl will be tilted to bring its' other nose, 50, into coperative engagement with the ratchet Wheel, thereby driving this Wheel in the reverse direction.

The arm 48 is manually controlled by means of a. rod 63, connected to one arm of a bell-crank lever 64, suitably mounted below the deck 12, and a pull rod connected. with the other arm of the bell-crank. A spring 66, applied to the bell-crank 64, normally holds the arm 48 in such position as to provide fo-r the elevating rotation of the screwT conveyer. Should the operator desire to reverse the direction of this screw he can do so by pulling up the handle 65 and holding it for such period as he may Wish to continue such operation of the conveyer.

The rod 63 is attached to the arm 48 substantially in line with the pivot of the lever 44, and hence the oscillation of this lever -has no disturbing action upon the arm.v

To each of the levers 44 there is attached an actuating rod 51, the opposite end of which is connected to a crank-arm 52 carried by a rocker shaft 53, having a crank-arm 54 connected with the piston rod 55 of a motor cylinder 56, suitably suppo-rted below the deck of the locomotive. This fluid motor may be supplied with steam or compressed air by any suitable pipe and valve arrangement within the control of the fireman, as is usual in power-actuated stokers.

rods 51 with its crank-arm 52 is through the medium of a crank-pin 57, fixed to the rod and passing through a longitudinal slot 58 in the crank-arm. Each of these rods plays through a stirrup block 59, carried by a vertical rod 60 in threaded engagement with a fixed nut 61 shown as located immediately below the deck 12, the upper end of the rod 60 being provided with a hand crank 62, by means of which it may be turned. By turningthe crank 62 the fireman may lower or raise the stirrup block 59 and thus shift the crank-pin 57 toward or away from the rocker shaft 53, thereby varyin the throw of the rod 51 and the travel of t e pawl 45 and de- Greasing or increasing the rate of feed of the fuel by the particular conveyer screvy with which these parts are associated.

The conduit 19 is sectional, adjacent sections being united by castings 67 each providing a pair of the lateral apertures heretofore referred to and affording seats for a pair of the conduits 29, 30. The upper lend of each of these conduits terminates substantially on a level with the grate surface, and is provided with a flange 68 for supporting one end of the adjacent grate bars 69, 70, the opposite ends of such bars resting upon a framework comprising side bars 71 and a central bar 72. The pot 35 for delivering the fuel from each of these conduits lits within the upper end o-f the latter and extends a short distance into the fire-box and is Vprovided with an apertured depending skirt 73 for protecting it from' the heat. The axes of the pots 35 being vertical, the fuel discharged therefrom is forced directly upward through the mass of burning fuel and falls thereonto in all directions.

The o eration of the device is as .follows uel entering the trough 14 through the Hoor of the bin is carried forwardly by the conveyer 21, past the crusher 23, and then by the conveyer 22 and the conveyer 26. A portion of this fuel is taken by each of the delivery conduits, o-r pair o-f conduits, in turn, all that is conveyed to the extreme end 'of the conduit 19 being taken care of by the last pair of delivery conduits. A proper distribution of the fuel to the several delivery conduits may be accomplished either by suitably propo-rtioning them in size or by regulating the speed o-f their elevating screws. In the embodiment of the invention here shown and described, the latter method of regulation is provided for. By so positioning the connections of the rods 51 with the crank arms 52 associated with this pair of delivery conduits that the latter will take only their fair share of the fuel, ample supply is provided for the remainder of the delivery conduits, similar regulation of the speed of the screws of the intermediate conduits being effected to insure ample supply to those at the inner end of the fire-box.

Should it be found that the bed of burning fuel is not uniform, it can easily be rendered so by accelerating the feed through some of the delivery conduits or diminishing it in others, or both methods may be adopted. The feed to the inner end of the fire-box may be regulated by varying that of the other conduits, thereby increasing or diminishing the quantity of fuel permitted to reach theend of the conduit 26. Should there be lack of uniformity of. delivery through the farther pair of conduits, the difficulty is overcome by adjusting the relative speeds of their screws. Should there be a clogging of the material in any of the transferring or delivering conduits, the conveyer therein may be reversed by shifting the actuating pawl associated therewith momentarily.

As the fuel is delivered vertically from the several discharge pots, it rises in the form of a mound and rolls off in all directions. Before `reaching the top of the mound it will be partially coked, and as a considerable period intervenes from the time it first comes under the influence of the heat as it emerges from thev pot until it reaches the grate surface it will be entirely consumed before mingling with the ash thereon, and the formation of clinkers measurably prevented. The vertical delivery of the fuel has a further advantage over the oblique delivery heretofore practised, in that it does not permit the formation of an extensive mass of coke, which is difficult to break up. When the fuel has reached the top of the mound over the delivery pot, the coking operationwill not have progressed to the stage of cohesion, and under the iniuence of gravity, supplemented, in the case of a locomotive, by the jarring incident to travel, will cause its ready separation and render unnecessary the use of the slice bar for breaking` it up.

he delivery pots are protected by their grated skirts and have little tendency to burn out. As they rest upon the upper ends of the delivery conduits they are easily removable for replacement.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a locomotive Stoker, the combination with a locomotive having a fire-box and a tender having a fuel bin, of a jointed con- Vduit leading forwardly below the fuel bin leading forwardly from below the tender and projecting under the fire-box, a plurality of conduits branching from the firstnamed conduit and each discharging into the fire-box, an independently actuated spiral conveyer in each of the branching conduits, and means for varying the speed of the conveyers in the branching conduits more remote from the forward end of the first-named conduit.

3. In'an underfeed stoker, the combination with a fire-box having a grate, ofa conduit deliveringl through the grate, a

spiral conveyer in the conduit, ratchet and pawl mechanism for driving the conveyer, means for varying the range of movement of the pawl, and means for reversing the action of the pawl on the ratchet.

4. In an underfeed Stoker, the combination with a` fire-box having a grate, of a plurality of tubes delivering through the grate, a spiral conveyer in each tube, independent means for driving each conveyer, and means for independently varying the speed of each driving means.

5. In an underfeed stoker, the combination with a lire-box having a grate, of a plurality of conduits delivering through the grate, a spiral conveyer in each conduit, independent means for driving each conveyer, means for independently varying the speed of each driving means, and means for independently reversing each conveyer.

6. In a stoker, in combination, a lire-box, a spiral conveyer for transferring fuel to the box, a ratchet wheel on the conveyer shaft, a lever pivoted in line with the shaft, a double nosed pawl carried by the lever and coperating with the wheel, a rocker shaft having a crank arm, a rodconnecting the lever with the arm and adjustably attached to one of said parts, a stirrup carrying the rod, a manually controlled screw rod supportin the stirrup, an arm pivotally mounted on t e lever` a spring connecting the arm with the pawl, and manually controlled means for swinging the arm on its pivot to reverse the pawl.

7. In a stoker, in combination, a fire-box, a conduit for transferring fuel to the box, a spiral conveyer in the conduit,a ratchet' wheel on the conveyer shaft, a lever, a double-nosed pawl pivoted on the lever and coperating with the wheel, an arm pivoted on the lever, a spring connecting the arm and pawl, and manually controlled means for swinging the arm on its pivot to reverse the pawl.

8.In combination. a fire-box having a grate, a fuel conduit below the grate and extending substantially the length thereof, a series of `discharge conduits branching from the first-named conduit and spaced longitudinally thereof and delivering through the grate,'independeut means for advancing fuel through the several conduits, and means for independently controlling the advancing means in the discharge conduits. y

9. In combination, a fire-box having a grate, a plurality of fuel conduits entering through the grate and spaced apart at intervals throughout the area thereof, a single -supply conduit delivering to the several first-named conduits, means for forcing fuel through the supply conduit, and means for adjustably regulating the delivery of the fuel therefrom to the several first-named conduits for the purpose of trimming the re.

10. In combination, a fire-box having a grate, a fuel feeding conduit located below the grate and extending approximately to the rear end thereof, a plurality of delivery conduits branching from the feeding conduit and spaced apart longitudinally thereof and opening through the grate, means for forcing fuel through such conduits, and means for varying the delivery to the branch 10 conduits near the front of the fire-'box whereby the quantity delivered to the rear- Ward branch conduits may be controlled.

NATHAN M. LOWER. 

